New Head Soccer Coach Chris Lenzo Makes Debut Against VMI

Aug. 26, 2005

Charleston, SC - First year head soccer coach Chris Lenzo makes his debut as the Bulldogs travel to Lexington, Va. to take on the VMI Keydets on Friday, August 26 at 4pm.

"We're very excited to be starting our season with VMI," commented Lenzo. "I expect them to be both well-organized and tenacious--to start my Citadel coaching career right in the thick of this rivalry is thrilling."

Having finished a season that saw some significant "firsts" in the program's history, the 2005 Citadel soccer team begins a new era with the hiring of Lenzo who took over for Megan Hoban Hjerling, the sport's first coach. Lenzo is optimistic about the possibility of building on the strides made last year.

"We are returning a lot of talent and adding a very hard-working, committed freshman class," said Lenzo, the former assistant at Western Carolina. "Having gotten a small taste of Southern Conference success this past year with our first conference point, I'm confident that the players are going to have their minds set on taking another step forward this fall."

Leading the list of returnees this fall are seniors Lauren Merchant, the team's top scorer with 19 points and Miriam Crawford, who contributed three goals. The top goalkeeper is senior Angie Ellenwood, who started 12 of the 14 games in which she played, and registered a team-high 74 saves.

After the Bulldogs' match against rival VMI on Friday, the squad travels to High Point, NC to take on High Point University on Sunday, August 28 at 2pm. The Citadel's first home game is slated for Saturday, September 3 at 1pm on WLI Field.